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Exclusive: Ukrainian general wants Canada’s 83,000 decommissioned rockets

Published

8 months ago

February 5, 2024

A Ukrainian military leader is asking Canada to hand over tens of thousands of rockets that are awaiting demolition at a Saskatchewan military base.

In an exclusive interview with Global News, Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov urged the government to let Ukraine have the decommissioned CRV7 rockets.

Doing so would help Ukraine fend off Russian forces and save taxpayers the cost of destroying them, said Lt. Gen. Budanov, chief of the Ukrainian defence ministry’s intelligence directorate.

“We hope it will be a win-win situation,” he said.

Crate of decommissioned CRV7 rockets.

Canadian Armed Forces

More than 83,000 CRV7 ground attack rockets are warehoused at Canadian Forces Ammunition Depot Dundurn, south of Saskatoon.

While Canada no longer has any use for them, and has selected a private contractor to demolish them, Ukraine says it urgently needs them as its supplies of munitions diminish.

Lt. Gen. Budanov said the CRV7s would be used both in Ukrainian attack helicopters and ground launchers to target Russian tanks and artillery.

Ukraine has been discussing the issue with Canada but is still awaiting a decision, he said.

Canadian officials said they were looking into the request, but cautioned the CRV7s are decades old and could have become unstable, rendering them dangerous to handle and transport.

The Ukrainians argue they are in a dire predicament and are willing to assume the risks. They said they are accustomed to handling older munitions like the CRV7s.

“We have no concerns,” Lt. Gen. Budanov said.

Chief of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov gives an interview on April 19, 2023 in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Vitalii Nosach/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images

Two years after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his disastrous invasion, Ukraine is desperately trying to replenish its military arsenal, particularly with munitions.

With neither side holding superiority in the air, the conflict has largely become an artillery battle and the Ukrainians have been scouring the world for whatever supplies they can find.

They believe that about 8,000 of the Canadian rockets are in pristine condition and that some are still fitted with warheads.

Those rockets that are no longer functional will be stripped of their parts for use in Ukraine’s drone program, the officials said.

“We need a lot of equipment, both ammunition, munitions in general, artillery munitions — lots of types of equipment,” Lt. Gen. Budanov said through an interpreter.

Satelite image of Canadian Forces Ammunition Depot Dundurn, Sask., where 83,000 CRV7 rockets await destruction.

A Canadian military spokesperson acknowledged that 83,303 rockets — most of them tubes with rocket motors but no warheads — were awaiting disposal by a contractor.

Aside from concerns about whether they could be safely airlifted, giving them to Ukraine would mean breaking the contract with the disposal company, which has been building a special facility for the job.

Experts canvassed by Global News said rocket propellent had a limited lifespan and could become unstable after so many years.

But since the CRV7s use a solid fuel, they may still be safe, provided they had been stored properly and not exposed to moisture or contamination.

The issue arose in Ottawa on Friday, when the Conservatives said the Canadian military was sitting on the stockpile of rockets.

“Instead of making Canadians pay millions of dollars to decommission these weapons, common sense Conservatives are calling on the Trudeau government to give these weapons to Ukraine who can use them in the defence of their sovereignty,” the party said in a statement.

Fence surrounds Canadian Forces base in Dundurn, Sask. where the decommissioned CRV7 rockets are stored.

Global News

The Liberals accused Opposition leader Pierre Poilievre of “trying to cover up his weak stance on Ukraine by distracting Canadians.”

Defence Minister Bill Blair’s spokesperson said the government was “pursuing testing to ensure that this equipment is operationally effective and safe to transport to Ukraine before any potential donation.”

Ukrainian officials were disappointed to see the issue become politicized.

“Please send it to us as quickly as possible,” said the Ukrainian colonel who leads the team preparing to take possession of the CRV7s. He spoke on the condition he would not be named.

“We desperately need any type of ammunition we can get.”

The Canadian Rocket Vehicle, or CRV7, was manufactured by Winnipeg-based Bristol Aerospace and became the NATO standard.

“The power behind the CRV7 is the propellant,” Magellan Aerospace, which took over Bristol, said on its website. “CRV7 is longer range, faster time to target, and superior accuracy.”

Ukrainian ground launcher, built for Canada’s CRV7 rockets.

Although Canada used CRV7s on aircraft like CF18s, Lt. Gen. Budanov said Ukraine had ground launchers capable of firing them.

Lt. Gen. Budanov, whose wife is recovering after she was allegedly poisoned by Russia, said the rockets would be used as the equivalent of field artillery.

Canadian veterans were working with Ukraine to help with the project, he added.

Asked if he was concerned that Ukraine’s allies were losing interest in the conflict after two years, he said, “It’s not a TV show, to be interested or not. It’s war.”

The Canadian government has committed more than $2.4 billion in military assistance to Ukraine since Russia launched its invasion on Feb. 24 2022.

That includes missiles as well as ammunition for small arms, artillery and battle tanks. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has promised Ukraine “unwavering support.”

But at a news conference in December, President Voldomyr Zelensky acknowledged his forces were running low of artillery shells.

That is where Canada’s CRV7s come in.

Canadian CRV7 rockets in Dundurn, Sask. Slated for destruction, Ukraine wants them to fight Russia.

Canadian Armed Forces

In 2021, the Canadian Armed Forces sought bidders for a contract to “collect, transport, destroy, demilitarize, recycle and dispose of” the CRV7s.

“The entire inventory of rocket motors was shelf-life expired and declared surplus in 2000,” the military said at the time.

“It was removed from the DND/CAF serviceable inventory in 2005 and made available for disposal by destruction.”

There are three types of rockets, according to the contract details: those fully intact and still packaged in their original shipping tube and boxes; scrap motors; and inert dummies.

A Canadian advisor to the Ukrainian military said she was rebuffed when she first approached Ottawa about giving the rockets to Ukraine instead of demolishing them.

“I was told that Canada has looked at it and decided it doesn’t have any value,” Kate McKenna, said.

“The CRV7s offer immense value to Ukraine’s defence.”

McKenna started a petition on the issue last December. The fact that Canada was sitting on the munitions “makes me kind of a bit salty,” she said.

“The rockets themselves are made up of a number of parts, including, the casing, the rocket fuel, the motor,” the former British Columbia resident said.

“Each one of those components can be repurposed by the Ukrainians. They are incredibly valuable,” said McKenna.

Canadian military base, Dundurn, Sask.

Global News

Ukraine has made similar appeals for junked military equipment to other countries, including Australia, which has 45 retired MRH-90 helicopters that Ukraine wants.

But Australia has deemed them unsafe, and intends to disassemble and bury the choppers, arguing getting them into working condition would be too costly.

“You don’t get to tell Ukraine what is or isn’t a good risk,” McKenna responded. “There are no good risks. Ukrainians are dying and we need to just be brave.”

“Trust Ukraine, trust them to make use of every single piece of that rocket, please. And Ukraine is ready to send over a team,” she said.

“They know what they’re doing.”

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Carolina Panthers’ early-season struggles not surprising to Proline players

Published

15 mins ago

September 19, 2024

Anne Joseph

It has been a difficult start to the NFL season for quarterback Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers.

Carolina has dropped its opening two games after Sunday’s 26-3 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. And Young, the first player taken in the ’23 NFL draft, was 18-of-26 passing for 84 yards with an interception while being sacked twice.

As a result, veteran Andy Dalton will start Sunday when Carolina faces the Las Vegas Raiders (1-1).

According to the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp., the Chargers’ win was the most accurately predicted moneyline selection by Proline bettors. A whopping 92 per cent of wagers were on Los Angeles beating Carolina with 92 per cent also picking the Chargers to cover -4.5.

In other action that went in favour of Proline bettors: Kansas City edged Cincinnati 26-25 (86 per cent correctly selected the Chiefs to win); Houston got past Chicago 19-13 (81 per cent); the New York Jets defeated Tennessee 24-17 (78 per cent); Pittsburgh beat Denver 13-6 (76 per cent), Washington beat the New York Giants 21-18 (73 per cent); and Seattle toppled New England 23-20 (62 per cent).

However, only five per cent of bettors had the Raiders upsetting Baltimore 26-23.

And there was one winner of Proline’s second week main NFL pool of $407,613.

In NFL futures bets after the second week of the season, the odds for offensive player of the year got shorter for running backs Breece Hall (Jets) and Bijan Robinson (Atlanta) and Detroit receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. But they got longer for running backs Kyren Williams (Rams), Christian McCaffrey (San Francisco) and Jonathan Taylor (Colts).

Quarterbacks Bo Nix (Denver), Jayden Daniels (Washington) and Caleb Williams (Chicago) all had their odds for offensive rookie of the year go up while they went down for running back Ray Davis (Buffalo), tight end Brock Bowers (Raiders) and receiver Malik Nabers (Giants).

Quarterbacks Patrick Mahones (Chiefs), Aaron Rodgers (Jets) and Jalen Hurts (Eagles) all had their odds for regular season MVP go up. But quarterbacks Jordan Love (Packers), Lamar Jackson (Baltimore) and Joe Burrow (Cincinnati) all saw theirs go down.

Kansas City, Philadelphia and Houston had their Super Bowl odds increase while Green Bay, Baltimore and Cincinnati all decreased.

Not surprising, the week’s top events were all NFL games. In order, they were; Buffalo-Miami, Chicago-Houston, Cincinnati-KC, Raiders-Ravens; and Saints-Cowboys.

A Proline retail player cashed in a $26,183 winner from a $10 bet on a 12-leg major-league baseball parlay. Another won $24,602 from a $10 wager on a 12-leg NFL parlay.

A third received $1,737 from a $3 bet on a six-leg NFL parlay.

A digital bettor earned $2,927 from a $25 bet on a five-leg NFL parlay while a second had a $704.35 return from a $1 wager on a seven-leg NFL parlay.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.

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Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell is selling his house to seek more privacy

Published

15 mins ago

September 19, 2024

Anne Joseph

BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich. (AP) — Lions coach Dan Campbell is selling his suburban Detroit home to get more privacy.

“There’s plenty of space, it’s on two acres, the home is beautiful,” Campbell told Crain’s Detroit Business. “It’s just that people figured out where we lived when we lost.”

He didn’t elaborate.

Campbell and wife Holly listed the 7,800-square-foot house in Bloomfield Hills for $4.5 million this week. A deal was pending within 24 hours, Crain’s reported.

Campbell was hired by the Lions in 2021. After a 3-13-1 record that season, the team has become one of the best in the NFL, reaching the NFC championship game last January.

Campbell’s home was built in 2013 for Igor Larionov, a Hockey Hall of Fame member who played for the Detroit Red Wings.

The likely buyers are “huge” Lions fans, said Ashley Crain, who is representing Campbell and the buyers in the sale.

___

AP NFL:

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How to recoup costs when you travel to an event that gets cancelled

Published

15 mins ago

September 19, 2024

Anne Joseph

Ariella Kimmel and Mandi Johnson were grabbing a bite to eat in Vienna, when their August trip to the Austrian capital was upended.

The Canadian duo had travelled to the city to see Taylor Swift in concert only to learn her shows would be cancelled because of two men plotting to launch an attack on fans outside the venue, Ernst Happel Stadium.

While Kimmel and Johnson were disappointed they weren’t going to be able to see Swift perform, they made the most of the remainder of their trip. However, the experience serves as a buyer’s beware for Canadians considering jet setting to see their favourite artists or teams.

“If you’re travelling to these concerts, it’s really hard to protect yourself,” said Kimmel, a Toronto-based vice-president at a public affairs firm who had previously travelled with Johnson to see Swift in Las Vegas, Nashville and Stockholm.

Such trips can make lifelong memories when they go off without a hitch, but cancellations and rescheduled events are common because of artist illnesses, poor ticket sales, security threats, unruly weather and natural disasters.

In the last year alone, Jennifer Lopez and the Black Keys scuttled touring plans after tickets had been sold, while Bruce Springsteen, Usher and Pink had to tell fans they couldn’t take the stage mere hoursbefore show time.

Between airfares, hotels, travel expenses and tickets, last-minute cancellations can leave globe-trotting eventgoers out hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.

“Regrettably, unpredictability has always been a reality of the industry but it’s increasingly common that there might be things that are going to interrupt your plans, especially plans that you’re really excited about,” said Jenny Kost, the Calgary-based global director of strategic sales initiatives at Corporate Traveller Canada.

“It’s a tricky one because the airline or hotel understands the reason behind your travel but its likelihood of happening or not happening is a little bit outside of their purview.”

Because Swift is known to power through shows even when sick, Kimmel never imagined a concert she was headed to would ever be cancelled, but she always booked plane tickets and hotels that could be rescheduled or refunded — a move she recommends to others travelling for events.

“It’s like common sense, you never know what’s going to happen,” Kimmel said.

However, making use of the rescheduling and refund options her hotel booking and airline tickets had weren’t an option for Kimmel this time because she had already been in Austria for a few days and had very little of her stay left when Swift cancelled.

Had the show been nixed before Kimmel left home, the flexibility baked into the bookings would have been useful, though Kost said such arrangements aren’t cheap.

“There is a cost associated with that that’s not insignificant,” she warned, estimating these kinds of bookings can add hundreds of dollars to your bill and have lots of quirks in the fine print.

The better bet is travel insurance, Kost said. It’s often cheaper than flexible fares and hotel bookings and can reimburse customers for accommodations and flights they have to drop or swap when an event gets cancel or an emergency strikes.

Kost opted for such insurance when she journeyed to Paris to see Swift over the summer and bought it again in a cab on her way to Mexico for a wedding. The insurance cost her about $150 for a week, but when she had to extend her stay because she fell ill, it covered the cost of all of her accommodations.

She doesn’t encourage people to wait until the last minute to buy the insurance like she did because buying it early can provide some reprieve when an event you’re travelling to is cancelled well in advance.

Travel costs aside, people heading out-of-town for events that wind up cancelled also have to consider whether they will get the money they spent on entry fees and tickets back.

In Kimmel and Johnson’s case, they paid Ticketmaster about $300 per seat. They learned just after the cancellation that they would be refunded — but not for an $85 transaction fee they were charged when purchasing the tickets.

“We paid $85 to not see her but I guess that in the grand scheme of what we were going to pay, it’s not a lot at all,” Kimmel said.

They did not opt to buy insurance on their tickets, which Ticketmaster offers through Allianz Global Assistance for $8, plus tax. Allianz’s vice-president of marketing and insights Dan Keon said the insurance offers coverage up to $1,000 per ticket.

In addition to offering refunds if an event is cancelled by a venue or promoter, the coverage can provide a reimbursement for a variety of situations. Those include if you are facing a serious medical issue or death, have a family member in life-threatening condition, are summoned by the military or are delayed in arriving at the venue because of a common transportation carrier.

If you’re going to opt into the insurance, Keon said review the terms ahead of time, so you understand exactly what scenarios you will be covered in.

The insurance, for example, can’t be used in the event of a pandemic, war or natural disaster.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.

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